Robert w



R. W. FURNAS, DECD.

F. A. & L. r. HAMILTON. EXECUTOR AND EXECUTRIX.

STREET SWEEPER HOOD.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8. 1914.

Patbnted Au a fl a WITNESSES:

A TTOR/VE 5 HL NOR?! nu UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTQE.

ROBERT W. FURNAS, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA; FRANK A. HAMILTON AND LELIAF. HAMILTON EXECUTOR AND EXECUTRIX OF SAID FURNAS, DECEASED.

STBEET-SWEEPER HOOD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT WV. FURNAs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana,have invented a new and useful Street-Sweeper Hood, of which thefollowing is a specification.

It is the object of my invention to improve the construction of hoodsfor pneumatic sweepers, especially those which operate in a closed cyclesystem; and more particularly to provide a better forward sweepingaction, to prevent eddying of the air currents, and to lessen the wearon and the chance of breaking or bending the rear wall of the innerchamber of such hood.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a hood embodying myinvention; and Fig. 2 is an enlargement of that part of Fig. 1 whichshows the inner chamber of the hood.

The hood frame 10 is suitably hung, as by wires or chains 11, from anintermediate supporting frame 12, in turn hung by suit able liftingwires or chains 13 from the vehicle frame 14, on which the pneumaticapparatus (not shown) is carried. The hood frame 10 is provided withcaster-type rollers 15, for engaging the ground, and is connected bytension rods or chains 16 to a suitable part of the vehicle frame 14,whereby it is dragged over the ground.

The hood has an outer chamber 20 and an inner chamber 21. In the formillustrated, the outer chamber is formed by rigid front and reartransverse walls 22 and rigid end walls 23, the latterconveniently.extending downward to the street surface, while the formerare some distance above the street surface and are provided withflexible, depending, street-engaging walls 24, preferably of canvasweighted in some suitable manner, as by plates 25. From the upper edgesof the outer chamber walls an outer flexible tube 26 extends upward tothe vehicle frame 1a, where it is suitably attached and opens to thedischarge side of the pneumatic system.

The inner chamber has transverse front and rear walls 30 and 31, thefront wall being substantially similar to the walls 24, thoughpreferably weighted somewhat more is fastened. From the center of theroof 34c rises a chimney 37 opening at its upper end into an innerflexible tube 38, located within the outer flexible tube 26 andconnected to the suction tube 39 of the pneumatic system.

The suction created in the tube 39 causes air to pass inwardly under theflange 33, and to a slight extent under the front wall 30, to the innerchamber 21, and thence up through the chimney 37, the flexible tube 38,and the suction tube 39 to the pneumatic system. This air carries withit the dirt on the street surface. The air entering the inner chamber 21under the walls 30 and 31 necessarily comes from the surrounding outerchamber 20, thus tending to reduce the pressure in such chamber. Theouter chamber is mainly supplied with air from the discharge side of thepneumatic system, though there is a slight inward leakage under thewalls 23 and 24, merely enough to compensate for any outward aircurrents from such pneumatic system.

The flange 33 causes the air entering the inner chamber under the wall31, where most of such air enters such chamber, to travel for somedistance in close contact with the street surface, and thus sweepsforward the dirt from such surface into the inner chamber. The air thusentering this inner chamber is substantially free from eddying, with itsconcomitant loss of energy and of some of the dirt carried by the air,because of the comparatively slight angle between the portion 32 and theflange 33 of the wall 31, and this absence of eddying helps theaforesaid forward-sweeping action.

I claim as my invention:

A hood for pneumatic street sweepers having inner and outer chambersopen to the surface of the ground, the rear wall of the inner chamberbeing inclined rearwardly and downwardly, and having at its lowertwenty-sixth day of September, A. D. one

edge in rearwaci'dly and sukfstantially horithousand nine hundred andfourteen.

zonta y exten ing flange tie rear edge of which flange is Well forwardof the rear Wall ROBERT FURNAS' of the Outer chamber. Witnesses:

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set JOSEPHINE GAsPER,

my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this G. B. SOI-ILEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

